Empusa fasciata

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Empusa fasciata
Empusa fasciata, female

Empusa fasciata , female

Systematics
Class : Insects (Insecta)
Order : Mantis (Mantodea)
Family : Empusidae
Subfamily : Empusinae
Genre : Empusa
Type : Empusa fasciata
Scientific name
Empusa fasciata
Brullé , 1832

Empusa fasciata is a fishing insect belonging to the Empusidae family. It iswidespreadin the eastern Mediterranean region and, like the closely related species Empusa pennata, is also known as the " crested insect " ( Conehead mantis )due to its appearance.

features

male

With a body length of about 60 to 80 millimeters as a female and about 50 to 70 as a male, Empusa fasciata is one of the medium-sized fishing horrors. The species has a yellow-gray or gray-brown basic coloration, with occasional green parts. The body is comparatively slim. The long thorax , the length of which almost corresponds to that of the rest of the body as a whole, is striking . In addition, there are several flaps on the abdomen and legs. The upper edge of the forewings has a white stripe, from which the species name fasciata (banded) is derived. In contrast to other fishing horrors, the wings of both sexes in Empusa fasciata are well developed and accordingly enable them to fly. Another characteristic of the species is the hood-like extension on the head, which has led to the name "hooded shrimp".

Sexual dimorphism

Like many terrors, the Empusa fasciata has a strong sexual dimorphism (difference between the sexes). The larger and stronger female has shorter and thinner antennae, shorter wings and an abdomen with five abdominal segments. The smaller and less powerful male has longer antennae with a noticeable double comb. Its wings protrude beyond the end of the abdomen, which here consists of six segments. The number of segments thus differs from that of other fishing horrors, which usually have more segments.

The younger stages ( larvae and nymphs ) have an upwardly curved abdomen and only wing tips, as is usual with fishing fright, but otherwise largely resemble the imagines (adult animals).

Similar species

Females of the closely related species Empusa pennata

Similar species of Empusa fasciata can be found in the genus Empusa itself, especially Empusa pennata . Empusa fasciata differs from Empusa pennata in particular in the narrower lobes on the legs.

Occurrence

Female in the Black Sea Biosphere Reserve in Ukraine

Empusa fasciata is an east Mediterranean species and inhabits the Balkan Peninsula , Turkey and North Africa . In the northeast, the limit of distribution is in the Crimea and in the Krasnodar region on the Black Sea. The western border of the distribution is in the extreme east of Italy ( Friuli and Veneto), the eastern border is probably in the west of Iran. It occurs on the island of Cyprus. Alleged sightings of Empusa fasciata in India have also occurred, but most authors do not count it as part of the range. The species prefers warm and dry areas that have many shrubs.

Threat and protection

The general population of Empusa fasciata is not rated by the IUCN. In Slovenia, however, where the occurrence of the species is limited to a few areas, the decline in suitable habitats has made it rarer. In the coastal region of Croatia, however, the species is considered common.

Way of life

Camouflaged nymph in the vegetation near the Serbian city ​​of Niš

Empusa fasciata can be found in the vegetation of its habitat and, like many fishing horrors, is mostly motionless. The possibility of defending against predators (predators) with a threatening gesture or a direct defense is not given to her, due to the lack of warning colors and the comparatively weak tentacles. Instead, the fishing insect kills itself in the event of possible danger. Empusa fasciata shares the predatory diet with all other species of the order Mantodea and hunts suitable prey as a hunter . The species has mainly specialized in flying insects, which can also be caught from the air.

Phenology and reproduction

Closer view of a nymph

Adult specimens of Empusa fasciata appear from early May to late June. The species is univolted and accordingly only trains one generation per year. The reproductive behavior of Empusa fasciata corresponds to that of other fishing horrors. In contrast , cannibalism on the part of the female compared to the male rarely occurs in this species. Individuals of both sexes usually mate several times. The females lay their ooths (egg clutches) in June. The oothecae are box-shaped and ribbed, have a width of about 15 and a width of about 20 millimeters and are immediately colored beige and later brown. In total, about 10 to 20 fertilized oothecs can be deposited at intervals of one to two, occasionally within a day. The young hatch about two to three weeks after being laid and in the middle of a period from mid-July to August. As larvae, they are around three millimeters long and colored black and white. They overwinter and, as with all hemimetabolic insects, to which the fishing fright also belong, grow over several moults and reach sexual maturity in the following year. In the female, this occurs about six days after the imaginal molt and in the male after about four days.

Terrariums

Like many other fishing horrors, Empusa fasciata is also kept as a pet in terrariums . For this, the warm and dry climate of their natural habitat must be simulated. It is advisable to also allow hibernation, as this can increase the otherwise comparatively short lifespan of the species of around six months. It must also be noted that the species should only be fed with flying insects, in which it specializes. In contrast to other species of fishing horror, the intraspecific aggressiveness of Empusa fasciata is weak, so that several animals can be kept in one dwelling if there is a sufficient area and sufficient food.

Systematics

Empusa fasciata was first described by Gaspard Auguste Brullé in 1832 and was not renamed or changed to other genres.

gallery

  • Frontal view of a female

  • Lateral view of a female

  • Rear view of a female

  • Dorsal view of a nymph

  • Frontal view of a nymph

  • Lateral view of a nymph

  • Ventral view of a nymph

  • Rear view of a nymph

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f Empusa fasciata (Brullé, 1832) on MantisOnline.de , accessed on March 9, 2020
  2. ↑ a b c German Society for Folk Natural History in Berlin: Natural Science Weekly, Volume 33 , G. Fischer, Cornell University, 1918, pp. 28-29
  3. ↑ Heiko Bellmann: The KOSMOS insect guide Kosmos Naturführer, Kosmos (Franckh-Kosmos), 1st edition, 2018, p. 64, ISBN 978-3-440-15528-8 .
  4. ↑ a b Michael Chinery: Parey's Book of Insects , 2nd Edition, Kosmos Naturführer, Kosmos (Franckh-Kosmos), 2012, p. 63, ISBN 978-3-440-13289-0 .
  5. ^ MV Stolyarov (2009): A preying mantis species (Mantidae) new for the fauna of Russia. Entomological Review 89: 189-190.
  6. ↑ P. Fontana, F. Cussigh (1996): Saga pedo (Pallas) ed empusa fasciata Brulle in Italia, specie rare proteggere there. Atti Accademia Roveretana degli Agiati 256 ser.7 vol6B, 47-64.
  7. ↑ N. Samin, H. Ghahari, A. Katbeh-Badr (2016): A faunistic study on the Mantodea (Insecta) from western Iran. Norwegian Journal of Entomology 63: 116-119.
  8. ↑ Reinhard Ehrmann (2011): Mantodea from Turkey and Cyprus (Dictyoptera: Mantodea). Articulata 26 (1): 1-42.
  9. ↑ a b Empusa fasciata (Brullé, 1832) on pyrgus.de , accessed on March 9, 2020
  10. ↑ Empusa fasciata (Brullé, 1832) on Global Biodiversity Information Facility , accessed March 9, 2020.
  11. ↑ a b c d Stanislav Gomboc: Bionomy, distribution and breeding attempts anEmpusa fasciata BRULLE, 1836 (Mantodea, Empusidae) in Slovenia , ARTICULATA 2000 15 (1), pp. 1-6, accessed on March 9, 2020
  12. ↑ Fran Rebrina, Roberto Battiston, Josip Skejo (2014): Are Empusa pennata and Bolivaria brachyptera really present in Croatia? A reply to Kranjčev (2013) with a critical review of mantid taxa found in Croatia. Entomologia Croatica 18 (1-2): 17-25.
  13. ↑ Empusa fasciata (Brullé, 1832) on Mantodea Species File , accessed March 9, 2020

literature

Web links

Commons : Empusa fasciata  - collection of images, videos and audio files